I’m overjoyed to invite you into this fifth issue of Agora — it has been such a blessing to see this journal grow, both horizontally in fellowship and vertically in genuine faith, and I am so humbled to be able to share the fruits of God’s work with you today.

Our name, Agora, derives from the ancient Greek word for an open, public area for marketplaces and gatherings — as such, we hoped to create space for spiritual discourse, fellowship, and the free exchange of ideas. By God’s grace, this journal has slowly approached that vision, and as you sit with this journal, you enter this space with us.

As it happens, the theme of this semester’s publication is Space. This encompasses both astronomical outer space and the smaller or more abstract spaces we encounter in our daily lives. Space is uniquely defined by what it is not: it is the distance between objects, the pauses between words, the absence of something past, or a vacant room to be filled.

Space is the radical difference between two dimensions and three, which gives depth, texture, and substance. It is the night sky — untouched, unmeasured, and extraordinary — stretching beyond imagination. It is boundless and timeless, and yet it is immediately present in every crevice of our lives.

Space is presence and absence, limit and possibility: to encounter space is to encounter Him, and to discover that no space is untouched by the God who fills all in all.

It’s been a delight to explore this dynamic and flexible concept together this semester through words, images, and dialogue. So please, join us in this space; allow God to saturate this moment and reveal how He has worked through these pieces this semester. He will make this a space for rest & replenishing, and you may even discover something out of this world! (sorry I couldn’t help myself)

Lastly, thank you for taking the time to read this journal; it’s hard to express how much this means to our contributors, our executive board, and myself. Grace and peace and blessings to you in God’s name, and if we haven’t already, I hope someday to meet you face to face.

All my love,

Olivia